5 most important figures in the history of boxing

[rorymac]

Your opinions please. Which 5 people have had the greatest impact on the advancement of boxing. All aspects of the game included.


Some early suggestions, obviously all are up for debate.

1. Marquess of Queensbury.

Founded modern boxing, invented the current rules.

2. Jim Corbett

Revolutionised the technical aspects of boxing, first 'intelligent' fighter.

3. Tex Rickard

First promoter to create 'stars' of boxers.

4. Muhammad Ali

The icon of boxing, carried its popularity through to the modern era.

5. Julio Cesar Chavez

Made boxing a national fixation in Mexico, the rest is history. (Up for debate of course, just throwing some ideas out)

[BKM-2010]

Could also throw Joe Louis in there.

[The Surgeon]

Could also throw Joe Louis in there.

Absolutely. First name that came to mind

[The Surgeon]

Your opinions please. Which 5 people have had the greatest impact on the advancement of boxing. All aspects of the game included.


Some early suggestions, obviously all are up for debate.

1. Marquess of Queensbury.

Founded modern boxing, invented the current rules.

2. Jim Corbett

Revolutionised the technical aspects of boxing, first 'intelligent' fighter.

3. Tex Rickard

First promoter to create 'stars' of boxers.

4. Muhammad Ali

The icon of boxing, carried its popularity through to the modern era.

5. Julio Cesar Chavez

Made boxing a national fixation in Mexico, the rest is history. (Up for debate of course, just throwing some ideas out)

Not sure about Chavez, he was a ROCKSTAR
and Great for the game and especially in Mexico but i think Mexico has always had a love for Boxing. They have certainly had great fighters far out dating Chavez anyway, guys like Kid Azteca who turned pro in 1932 were viewed as hero's... So im not so sure on Chavez but im open to being wrong - i wasnt around after all!

[Sugarj]

Lord, there are so many:

John L Sullivan, Jack Dempsey and Sugar Ray Robinson deserve a mention too. Megastars of their eras!

[BKM-2010]

Wouldn't be a popular choice but you can't deny Don King. The guy is one of boxing's most notable figures ever.

[GrandpaBernard]

MIKE TYSON, Joe Louis, and Sugar Ray Robinson

[ghns1133]

don king is the Goat boxing crook

[McGoorty]

Your opinions please. Which 5 people have had the greatest impact on the advancement of boxing. All aspects of the game included.


Some early suggestions, obviously all are up for debate.

1. Marquess of Queensbury.

Founded modern boxing, invented the current rules.

2. Jim Corbett

Revolutionised the technical aspects of boxing, first 'intelligent' fighter.

3. Tex Rickard

First promoter to create 'stars' of boxers.

4. Muhammad Ali

The icon of boxing, carried its popularity through to the modern era.

5. Julio Cesar Chavez

Made boxing a national fixation in Mexico, the rest is history. (Up for debate of course, just throwing some ideas out)

1. Jack Broughton 1740's..... Where would boxing be without the first great boxing champion..... He was the first fighter with the reputation and popularity to have the power and right to Author the very first formulated rules for boxing...... A common misconception is that we owe the use of gloves to the Marquis of Queensbury,...... it was Broughton 270 years ago who introduced gloves for sparring and for amatuers..... where would we be indeed........................ It was Broughton who first brought in most of the basics of boxing and the first school (widely available as it spread) to teach those ideas he had all but invented. Apart from the original champ (Figg, who boxed as if he was weilding a sword)...... It was Broughton who was the very FIRST Boxer to introduce the word science,,,,,, Jack was indeed a scientific boxer,... keeping in mind the very limited medical knowledge of the "Gin Age".---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Broughton method fighters ruled the pugilistic world for at least 3 decades before the NEXT MAN WE NEEDED to advance the sport was the great and absolutely the very first true pound for pound champion, a junior Middleweight by our standards...... He is a top contender for this list too as this man advanced the boxing game by light years,,,,, you can still read his training manual to this day (via my thread)......... He is my #2.... Daniel MENDOZA,---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mendoza was a completely revolutionary boxer, after he came along the Broughton method was obsolete. Daniel Mendoza is without doubt the greatest fighter of the entire 18th century, he was a marvel of the sport. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Most of the basic principles of Mendoza still exist today, except of course for the grappling and throwing that was a significant feature of the time........ As far as I can tell, All of his fights he had, he was the shorter man and always gave many pounds away. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mendoza's favourite technique was a blow that is as illegal as it is pointless today, because of the use of gloves. This blow was devastating, but took a great deal of mastery for it to be of any use. In those days it was called the Chopping blow, in reality a backfist which struck with the first two knuckles, Mendoza would parry a blow and then strike immediately with the parrying hand, and he say's that he cuts a man every time he lands, Mendoza adds that when he hits the right spot above the bridge of the nose, the nose will split from top to bottom....... Fight over, even then such a wound means the victim is done for.After Mendoza became the champion,... the "chopping blow", became known as "The Mendoza".--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There were two basic schools by the time Philadelphia Jack O' Brien was fighting. The Classical style (English and new English)..... and The American, or as O' Brien calls it the "Crouchers" ........ Jack proudly states that he is purely classical................. Another word for the classical style could justifiably be called The Mendoza school.... By the late 1800's... most boxing manuals were still basically re-cycling the theories from Mendoza's 1788 manual. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There had to be a major revolution to happen for any marked changes to make the sport evolve,........ Like everything else as the 19th century got a roll on the major revolutions happened on the other side of the Atlantic............ It was not the big cities of the East coast where the revolution and evolution of boxing took it's next great leap. The honour for this is what an Aussie would call the "Outback", "Never Never" or simply "The Bush"...... of course it was frontier USA where most changes came.... Lawlessness is a legendary notion we have of the Wild West. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anybody who has an inkling of Charles Darwin knows that the one thing for species to evolve into something very different needs a large degree of isolation for it to happen.......... well before the Railroads had swallowed up a continent...... communications and distances were slow and vast. In this setting, far from the beaten path, and even further from a Classical Boxing master who can teach even the most rudimentary Classical techniques and attitudes, brought a re-invention and initially a few steps back in time. The crouchers, and brawlers who bashed each other for a dime had no time for all that posh stuff........... Think a primitive Bat Nelson........ .---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Who is the American most responsible for perfecting this style to the point where it has reached it's perfection........ In my mind there are three names who cane say "ME",......... The first important world class American fighter is of course TOM HEENAN.......................... 2nd and the one who most think of is the greatest and most influential fighter of the second half...... John L. Sullivan..... We owe the success of Marquis of Queensbury rules to Sullivan...... It was his popularity which made the establishment finally accept that Gloved fighting was an actual sport....... It had always been regarded as for novices and amatuers..... Sullivan refused to fight bare-knuckle, he only ever had 4 bare-knuckle fights. He is so famous that I need say any more for now. ---------- the other name we must acknowledge is the Great Jack "Non-Pariel" Dempsey. -- Although Sullivan was a revelation in his ability,...... Dempsey was probably the greatest scientific fighter ever seen until then..... Not only did he have great ability in the "Classical style"...... he, being an American after all, fused the American style along with it........ there is something terribly modern about much of the great "Non-Pariel".... As everybody knows Non-Pariel means incomparable....... He must have been awesome. I will think about post 1890 soon, but that's just a quick line or two to tide you over.

[Capaedia]

Well McGoorty you've gone and made everyone else look bad.

Thanks for that!

I'm surprised no-one has so much as mentioned Jack "where the white women at" Johnson. He won't be taking a top spot, but he must be up there?